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        <p>Chapter 11. <B>Adam makes a speech</B></p>
        
        <p> There was a frission of excitement as Albert turned on the recording in the dorm. They had made sure that Adam wasn't present.<BR>
        &quot;Pity&quot; said Albert, &quot;Adam would have given anything to hear this.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;It's just too dangerous&quot; said James.<BR>
        &quot;Let's hear what we discussed&quot; said Sebastian, &quot;these mysteries are forever captured. I bet no-one has tried to say Compline while high before.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;They do in Eastern monasteries&quot; said Ibrahim, &quot;probably in this one too, if truth be known.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;So which monk do you think is stoned?&quot; asked James.<BR>
        &quot;Br Damian&quot; said Ibrahim, and they all laughed.<BR>
        &quot;Br Kieran too, I wouldn't put it past him&quot; said Sebastian, &quot;I reckon all the monks, over the vacs, are high on weed. It's the motor that keeps monastic life ticking over. But pray, Albert, proceed.&quot;<BR>
        He had started the recording at the end of the Psalm.</p>
        
        <p> I rely on you, Lord,  My spirit relies on your promise,  My soul hopes in the Lord,  More than the watchman for daybreak.</p>
        
        <p> As the watchman hopes for daybreak  So let Israel hope in the Lord.</p>
        
        <p> The Psalm sounded rich and full. There was a bit of silence. The boys waited expectantly.<BR>
        &quot;Cor, man&quot; said a voice. It was James.<BR>
        &quot;That's where it's at&quot;, Sebastian.<BR>
        There was more silence. Then,<BR>
        &quot;Peace, peace, peace is where it's at. We're gonna unite all humanity.&quot;<BR> Sebastian again.<BR>
        &quot;Man.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;That pattern.&quot;</p>
        
        <p> &quot;Glory be to the Father, and to the Son&quot;<BR>
        The lines were kind of slurred, the notes not together.<BR>
        &quot;Surely we can get the doxology right&quot; said Sebastian.<BR>
        &quot;And to the Holy Spirit, as was, is now&quot; the notes faltered, &quot;And to the Holy Spirit,as was, and is now.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Man, that's where it's at.&quot;</p>
        
        <p> Albert turned off the recording, embarrassed.<BR>
        &quot;That was just meaningless gibberish.&quot; he said.<BR>
        &quot;It seemed so meaningful at the time&quot; said Sebastian, &quot;I thought we'd solved the problems facing the world and found the one true religion.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;You can't understand it unless you're high&quot; said James.<BR>
        &quot;Oh, well, never mind&quot; said Albert, &quot;I'll erase this.&quot;</p>
        
        <p> Adam realised that the other boys were excluding him. There was hardly a scrap of free time when all five were together, the other four were always on their own. At breaktime they would talk together, then change the subject, look embarrassed, and find an excuse to move away when he joined the group. Even their games of five-a-side at lunchtime were slowly being reduced. Often Adam was the only one there, so the second years played with the third years, and he was left on the sidelines, watching.  The girls were no better. Blonde Mary seemed to have taken against him, and all the girls, even short Mary, seemed to kowtow to her these days.<BR>
        He tackled Albert after prep.<BR>
        &quot;Let's go to the woodwork room and get that first bow finished&quot; said Adam.<BR>
        &quot;Maybe,&quot; said Albert, &quot;it's a bit of a kid's game, really.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;You mean you want to smoke some weed tonight?&quot; said Adam.<BR>
        &quot;Adam,&quot; said Albert, &quot;you're not mature. Relax, and chill.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;You're not a pot-head&quot; said Adam, &quot;Albert, it's not you. You're not one of them. You know you're not.&quot;<BR>
        Albert shrugged and went away. Adam went by himself to the woodwork shed. &quot;I can finish the bow by myself&quot; he thought.<BR>
        He hadn't realised how deeply he was dependent on Albert. Working alone just wasn't the same. There was no joy to it, no-one to turn to when he had no idea how far to trim the wood, or how feathers were attached to the shaft. He wasn't sure how to operate the lathe, or to clean out the socket of the arrowhead so that the shaft would fit inside. Albert knew all these details. However he stuck at it, there was nothing else to do.<BR>
        &quot;If I have to do it myself&quot; he thought, &quot;I will shoot a deer.&quot;<BR>
        Two days later, he finally finished the first bow, and the next day the first three arrows. He put the arrow to the notch, and drew the bow back for the first time. A sense of power came over him. He realised that he carried in his hands a weapon capable of killing another person. He left the woodwork shed, and shot the arrow as far as it would go. It travelled about a hundred yards, far further than he had imagined possible.<BR>
        &quot;Albert got the draw strength right&quot; was his only thought. But Albert wasn't with him any longer. He was on his own.</p>
        
        <p>  &quot;I've noticed a sudden deterioration in the first years' academic work&quot;<BR>
        said Br Dominic, at the staff meeting.<BR>
        &quot;Seconded&quot; said Br Kieran.  One by one all the monks agreed. The first years' work had got markedly worse over the last week or so.<BR>
        &quot;The one I'm mainly worried about is Adam&quot; said Br Dominic, &quot;he seems positively tortured these days, as though carrying some burden. I had thought that we had reached a turning point with his Latin, but it seems not. His last prep was awful.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Ibrahim maths, it no good&quot; said Br Jumbo.<BR>
        &quot;Ibrahim is going to have to leave&quot; said Br Kieran, &quot;sorry, but no two ways about it. He doesn't get basic science, he doesn't ask any questions in class, he doesn't answer anything unless you push him and then a shortly as possible.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;He does have a reasonable voice though&quot; said Br Bernard.<BR>
        &quot;It's early days, brothers&quot; said Fr Abbot, &quot;we're only into the first term. Let's not worry too much about this problem. Don't make a fetish of examination success.&quot;<BR>
        Adam felt strangely flat after the bow was finished. Now there was nothing to do. He found himself taking another walk by the beach, wrapped in his overcoat against the bitter cold.<BR>
        &quot;Though a thousand fall at my left hand, and ten thousand at my right&quot;, he thought, &quot;it shall not approach me. I will only look with my eyes, and see the recompense of the wicked. For the Lord is my refuge, the Most High, my dwelling place&quot;.<BR>
        The waves lapped in sympathy.<BR>
        The next lines of the psalm came to him. &quot;You will tread upon the lion and the cobra, the lion cub and the serpent you shall strike down&quot;.<BR>
        Adam suddenly realised what he had to do.<BR>
        He spent the rest of the evening staring out into the black sea, gathering strength. Then he went to Abagail.</p>
        
        <p> &quot;Abbey,&quot; he said, &quot;I want to put through a JC motion, and I want you to second it.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;What&quot; asked Abagail.<BR>
        &quot;This JC supports the imprisonment of cannabis users.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Adam&quot; said Abagail, &quot;you've gone far enough with this nonsense. You're embarrassing me, and no, I don't agree with you.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;So you're one of them&quot; he said.<BR>
        &quot;Everybody is&quot; said Abagail, &quot;Adam, it's not us and them, it's you and everybody else. Why can't you be just normal?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;So whose giving you the drugs?&quot; asked Adam.<BR>
        &quot;It's ten pounds a wrap and we club together to pay for it&quot; said Abagail.<BR>
        &quot;Abbey, we can't afford that sort of money.&quot; said Adam. The sense of betrayal was total.<BR>
        &quot;It's vulgar to worry too much about money&quot; said Abagail.<BR>
        &quot;That's because poor people like us have to&quot; said Adam, &quot;Abbey, Cecilia and the Marys get allowances from their parents. We get almost nothing.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Well we can ask Mummy for more.&quot; said Abagail, &quot;Anyway, blonde Mary sometimes pays it.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Abbey, your body is not to be poisoned.&quot; said Adam.<BR>
        &quot;I can do what I want.&quot; said Abagail.<BR>
        &quot;No you can't.&quot; said Adam.<BR>
        &quot;Why not?&quot; Abagail demanded.<BR>
        &quot;Because it is not your property. You did not buy it, you did not make it, it was given to you from on high&quot;. said Adam.<BR>
        &quot;Adam, please drop this.&quot; said Abagail.</p>
        
        <p> Having failed to secure Abagail's support for his motion, Adam went to tackle Albert.<BR>
        &quot;I've done the first bow, care to try it out?&quot;<BR>
        A flicker of interest crossed Albert's face.<BR>
        &quot;Come on Albert, you've put more work into this than me.&quot; said Adam.<BR>
        The two boys made their way to the woodwork shed. Albert took the finished bow.<BR>
        &quot;Fire&quot; said Adam.  &quot;You don't fire a bow&quot;, said Albert, &quot;you shoot it.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Shoot, then&quot; said Adam.<BR>
        &quot;That sounds kind of funny&quot; said Albert.<BR>
        &quot;Like shooting heroin?&quot<BR>
        ;  &quot;Kind of like.&quot; said Albert.<BR>
        &quot;That's what you'll be doing before you know it&quot; said Adam, &quot;Cannabis is a gateway drug.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Gateway drug?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;It opens the gate to the harder stuff.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Me, never?&quot; said Albert.<BR>
        &quot;You'd have said that about pot three weeks ago.&quot; said Adam. &quot;It's not you, Albert, you know it isn't. Anyway, shoot.&quot;<BR>
        Albert stretched the bow back, and shot off the arrow.<BR>
        &quot;Owch&quot;  The arrow had burned a big red mark on his hand.<BR>
        &quot;We need gloves.&quot; said Albert, &quot;The metalwork ones will do for now. I'll get some proper protectors made up.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;See how far that arrow went?&quot; said Adam.<BR>
        &quot;Impressive&quot; agreed Albert.MBR>
        &quot;So we can take a deer at two hundred yards.&quot; said Adam.  &quot;Not necessarily. It depends what accuracy we can get. Then the arrow loses power as it gets to the end of its flight. I'm worried as it is that we don't have enough firepower to take down a deer. But promising, yes.&quot; said Albert.<BR>
        &quot;Albert&quot; said Adam, &quot;I'm putting a motion through the JC, calling for the imprisonment of cannabis users. Will you second it.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;That's supporting imprisonment of myself.&quot; said Albert.<BR>
        &quot;You're already imprisoned, on this island.&quot; said Adam.<BR>
        &quot;That's true,&quot; said Albert, &quot;you won't drop this one-man anti- drugs crusade, will you Adam?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;No&quot; said Adam.<BR>
        &quot;You make yourself very unpopular&quot; said Albert.<BR>
        &quot;But you're still my friend&quot; said Adam.<BR>
        &quot;I'm still your friend&quot; said Albert, &quot;look, I'll second it so that it can be proposed, but don't expect me to defend it. Then maybe you'll realise what an idiot you are being, when no-one agrees with you.&quot;</p>
        
        <p> Next evening Adam was back on the beach, preparing his great speech for the Sunday evening JC meeting. He rehearsed it slowly in his head. He knew that it was a no-hoper motion, but that wasn't the point.<BR>
        &quot;Adam wants us in prison&quot; said blonde Mary, to Mandy.<BR>
        &quot;How come?&quot; asked Mandy. <BR>
        &quot;He's put a motion through to the JC calling for cannabis users to be sent to prison.&quot; said blonde Mary.<BR>
        &quot;The idiot.&quot; said Mandy, &quot;You can debate legalisation, that's reasonable. But this is so ridiculous. Sean should have ruled it out.&quot; <BR>
        &quot;Well he hasn't done&quot; said blonde Mary, &quot;Mandy, we've got to be careful. He might be trying to flush us out.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;You mean sneak on us?&quot; said Mandy.  &quot;That's what I mean. Abbey already knows, but I don't think she's told him. But it's only a matter of time before he finds out.&quot; said blonde Mary.<BR>
        &quot;Anyway, I've got to go&quot; said Mandy.</p>
        
        <p> Adam saw a light far off. Initially he thought it was the ferry, but it veered from the normal ferry course. It seemed like it was about to circumnavigate the island.  &quot;I wonder if I can catch it&quot; thought Adam, idly. He had a torch. It was impossible to run along the path that encircled the island when all was dark, but you could still go at a reasonable pace. From his new elevation he could see it. It was impossible to tell what distance it was at.<BR>
        &quot;If I walk round the island I should be back for Compline&quot; thought Adam, checking his watch, &quot;And I can see where that ship is going.&quot;<BR>
        He followed it round for some distance. Suddenly, it started flashing. Adam stared at it. It flashed again, directly at him.<BR>
        &quot;My torch&quot; he thought, &quot;they can see my torch from the sea&quot;.<BR>
        He turned it off and lay down.<BR>
        The light seemed to come nearer and nearer, though again it was difficult to judge distance. Adam realised that it was approaching the disused jetty. Fear seized him.<BR>
        &quot;What if they are coming to get me?&quot; He wondered how quickly he could make it to the monastery.<BR>
        &quot;Get off the path&quot; he thought. He couldn't travel any distance without a torch, and a light would give away his position. It was safest to hide and wait.<BR>
        The light flashed again, and there was another light, flashing from the shore. The light on the shore then moved all the way up the jetty, a tiny pinprick of light, but very visible in the blackness. The lights merged.<BR>
        &quot;They've landed&quot; thought Adam, in panic, &quot;and they'll know I saw them. Oh God, come to my aid.&quot;<BR>
        The little pin-prick of light left the main light a couple of minutes after, and the lights separated. Adam hid himself. <BR>
        Footsteps were coming up the path, little light ones. Adam risked a peek. He could see a torch moving. Then the figure came within a few feet of where he had concealed himself. He recognised that silhouette. It was Mandy.  Adam waited a safe time, then legged it back to the monastery in the opposite direction. Mandy, as good as gold, was at Compline.<BR>
        &quot;You've put in a motion to send us to jail&quot; said James, that night, accusingly.  &quot;Well, you deserve to go to jail&quot; said Adam. <BR>
        &quot;How come. Adam, I'm going to beat you up. This is your way of sneaking on us.&quot; said James.<BR>
        &quot;You deserve to go to jail, well wait for my speech to find out why.&quot; said Adam, &quot;James, you don't impress me.&quot; <BR>
        &quot;Then maybe this will impress you&quot; said James, landing him a punch on the face. Adam punched back, but missed.<BR>
        &quot;Hey up&quot; Sebastian intervened, &quot;Adam, you've got to choose between us or the school. How can anyone trust you?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;For God's sake just smoke some dope and have this nonsense over with&quot; said Albert.<BR>
        &quot;No way&quot; said Adam, &quot;how many times have I said, I do not do drugs.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;We're not addicted, you know&quot; said Ibrahim.<BR>
        &quot;Your brain is addled, Ibrahim&quot; said Adam, &quot;if you want the truth.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Which you are going to say, at the JC meeting&quot; said James.<BR>
        &quot;No, I'm not going to say that&quot; said Adam.<BR>
        &quot;Then what are you going to say?&quot; James demanded to know.<BR>
        &quot;Albert, you seconded this stupid motion, why did you do that?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Get it out of his system.&quot; said Albert.<BR>
        &quot;So if you lose the vote, will you take some dope?&quot; asked James.<BR>
        &quot;No&quot; said Adam.<BR>
        &quot;But if you win you will expect us to stop taking it&quot; said James.<BR>
        &quot;Yes&quot; said Adam.<BR>
        &quot;Don't you see how completely unreasonable that is, Adam? We've had enough of your self-righteousness.&quot; said James.<BR>
        Br Dominic was heard on the staircase calling for lights out, and still angry the boys pulled the covers over themselves.</p>
        
        <p>Albert was shocked when his mark for maths prep came back. The others had also done badly, and he tried to tell himself that it was a hard exercise. However he knew the truth. Maybe it was the dope itself, maybe it was all the fuss over it that had distracted him. Albert had no intention of getting poor marks, and not going to a good university. His parents weren't especially rich, and were cutting back hard on holidays and meals out in order to afford his St Tom's school fees. He was beginning to think that Adam was right all along.<BR>
        When the joint came round the next day he took a tiny puff, and didn't inhale, passing it on as quickly as he dared to James.<BR>
        &quot;Where's Adam?&quot; drawled James.<BT>
            &quot;I don't know&quot;, said Albert, truthfully, &quot;maybe he's doing woodwork, or maybe by the beach.&quot;<BR>
            &quot;He spends too long at that beach. What's he doing there?&quot;<BR>
            &quot;Just staring out to sea, in the dark.&quot; said Albert.<BR>
            &quot;He's getting seriously weird&quot; said James.</p>
        
        <p>In fact Adam was doing a survey of shipping. He wanted to know how many ships or boats were usually to be seen in the vicinity of the island, and whether any more of them made secret landings on the old jetty. In fact the stretch of water between the island and the mainland was fairly quiet. Big ships never went though it. Occasionally there was a small pleasure craft embarking or disembarking from the village, and the ferry would make periodic visits to the island. The only other vessel he saw was a lobster-fishing boat, which visited and revisited buoys moored in the strait. But that was about it. Otherwise boats were very rare.  If you walked right round the island they became more common, but they were mainly big vessels, in the distance, making their way to Belfast or to Liverpool. In the dark you couldn't tell a big, fast ship at far distance from a slow, small ship in the near distance, but the big ships kept mainly on the same lane. Adam was reasonably confident that he could discount them. However nothing came to dock at the old jetty.</p>
        
        <p>Blonde Mary allowed short Mary to smoke with the other girls for a couple of more occasions, to get her established as a regular cannabis user.<BR>
        Then it was time for revenge.<BR>
        They were back in the old graveyard, before Compline.<BR>
        &quot;We play a game&quot; said blonde Mary, &quot;we stretch a bit of tissue paper over a cup, and put a coin on top of it. Each time you take a smoke, you have to either burn a hole in the tissue, or burn out a bridge. If you don't do it, penalty five puffs. If the coin drops, you lose the game, and you buy the next joint.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;OK&quot; said Abagail, a bit dubiously. She couldn't afford to buy too many joints, on her own.<BR>
        Blonde Mary arranged matters so that she was to the left of short Mary, and Mandy was to the left of her. They had played this game before with Jade and Olivia. Mandy had her head screwed on well enough to give blonde Mary easy holes, whilst blonde Mary could make life as difficult as possible for short Mary. Abagail and Cecilia just played for themselves in a sporting spirit.<BR>
        Initially it was easy, then as more and more holes were burned in the tissue, it became harder and harder to find a hole or bridge to burn that would not precipitate the coin to the bottom of the beaker.<BR>
        Blonde Mary deftly burned most of the way round for short Mary, leaving the coin suspended by a thread. Short Mary took a tiny nibble out of the edge, and received a five puff penalty.<BR>
        Abagail tried to burn out a bridge, and the coin clinked in the bottom of the glass. Abagail scowled and produced a ten pound note.<BR>
        &quot;Finish this joint first&quot; said blonde Mary, &quot;Mary?&quot;<BR>
        Short Mary took the joint and took a puff. Blonde Mary took it back, and took a slight puff. &quot;None for you, Abbey&quot; she said, &quot;Mandy?&quot;<BR>
        Mandy obligingly smoked a small amount.<BR>
        &quot;Finish it off, Mary&quot; said blonde Mary, giving it to short Mary. Short Mary did so.<BR>
        The second joint went round. Short Mary by now was losing a bit of concentration. One of her holes got too big and became a nibble, and she received another five puff penalty. Abagail made the same mistake. Cecilia passed correctly, then Mandy deftly made a small hole, leaving an easy bridge for blonde Mary to burn out. The task went to short Mary. She tried to burn a small hole, and the tissue paper flared up. The coin clinked in the bottom and the girls laughed.<BR>
        &quot;Ten pounds&quot; said blonde Mary, &quot;but to sweeten the blow for you a little, dearest, the rest is yours.&quot;<BR>
        Abagail scowled again, but there was nothing she could do.  Short Mary smoked the rest of the joint, and then the bell went for Compline.<BR>
        &quot;Don't go to Compline, Mary&quot; blonde Mary warned her, and the others deserted her.<BR>
        It was forbidden to miss Compline if you were in easy hearing of the bell, and prefects occasionally did sweeps. Short Mary wondered what to do. If she had been thinking straight she would have realised that she could leg it off to the beach with minimal danger, but she wasn't thinking entirely straight because of the drug. She decided to go to Compline.<BR>
        Blonde Mary didn't file into chapel with the others, but hung back a while to wait to see what short Mary would do. She was going to give a hint to a prefect that short Mary was deliberately absent. In the event, however, short Mary appeared down the corridor. Adam was slightly in front of her.<BR>
        &quot;Adam&quot;, said blonde Mary, all concern, &quot;short Mary isn't feeling well.&quot;<BR>
        Adam frowned. He had got to recognise the symptoms of drugs by now.  &quot;What are you going to do about it?&quot; asked blonde Mary.<BR>
        &quot;I'm going to get drugs out of this bloody school, that's what I'm going to do&quot; said Adam. &quot;Mary,&quot; he spoke sharply to short Mary, &quot;just go to your dorm.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Oh Adam, don't take things too seriously. Yeah, I'll go to the dorm when I'm ready.&quot; said short Mary.<BR>
        Compline began. Br Bernard could tell quite easily that short Mary was in trouble, and in any case some of the others had overheard Adam and blonde Mary talking. He took short Mary aside after the office, and asked her what was wrong.<BR>
        &quot;Nothing&quot; said short Mary, obviously spaced out.<BR>\  &quot;I think you'd better go to the sick bay&quot; said Br Bernard, &quot;and to Fr Abbot in the morning.&quot;</p>
        
        <p> &quot;Are you crazy?&quot; Mandy rounded on blonde Mary that evening, &quot;she'll tell over all of us.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;All of us?&quot; said blonde Mary, &quot;listen, Mandy, Fr Abbot is not so stupid that he won't realise that there's a drug problem at St Tom's sooner or later. This way short Mary comes to be seen as the source of the problem. It deflects attention from us. If she tells tales, which she won't, then everyone takes drugs except Adam. Adam will be the only one left. So there's nothing much Fr Abbot can do. He's no way of knowing where they're coming from, and if push comes to shove they're from Jade and Olivia. But she won't tell tales. She's not secure enough to do that, because then everyone will hate her. What she doesn't know is that everyone is going to hate her, anyway.&quot;</p>
        
        <p> Surprisingly to the children Fr Abbot simply gave short Mary a punishment run, and there was no further fuss made.<BE>
            &quot;Did he warn you?&quot; asked Abagail.<BR>
            &quot;No&quot; said short Mary.<BR>
            &quot;Well did he get you to tell him where you'd got them from?&quot;<BR>
            &quot;No&quot; said short Mary.<BR>
            &quot;Then you must have sneaked on us&quot; said Abagail, &quot;what did he do?&quot;<BR>
            &quot;He just said that to successfully conceal drug usage it is necessary to smoke moderate amounts, outside, and after lights out. Take a punishment run, Miss Walker please.&quot;<BR>
            &quot;He didn't ask anything?&quot; demanded Abagail, again.  &quot;No&quot; insisted short Mary.<BR>
            &quot;It's your fault, anyway&quot; said Abagail, &quot;why did you go to Compline when blonde Mary warned you? You've put us all at risk.&quot;<BR>
            &quot;I was afraid of being picked up by a prefect&quot; said short Mary.<BR>
            &quot;Oh nonsense&quot; said Abagail, &quot;they hardly ever do sweeps, and you can hide.&quot;</p>
        
        <p> &quot;Mary, you are put on warning&quot; said blonde Mary, the next evening before lights out, &quot;you have put all of us at risk. Do that again and you are out.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Well the boys did the same&quot; said short Mary, &quot;they turned up to Compline high.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;That was different&quot; said blonde Mary, imperiously. &quot;Mary, sweetest, we tried to warn you. What can we do if you won't take advice? Nothing, except we're going to ration the amount that you take from now on. For your safety and for ours, you understand. Do you agree, Mary?&quot;<BR>
        Short Mary was forced to say 'yes'. After all, Fr Abbot, in his inimitable way, had warned her to smoke moderately. Blonde Mary was saying the same. She began to feel rather foolish.<BR>
        &quot;Now just Adam to sort out&quot; said blonde Mary, &quot;Keep it buttoned, girls, for this stupid, stupid motion.&quot;</p>
        
        <p> &quot;Short Mary didn't get expelled&quot; said Mandy, when she and blonde Mary were together again.<BR>
        &quot;No, sweetest&quot; said blonde Mary, &quot;I was kind of hoping she'd get into more serious trouble than she did. However a punishment run can be very nasty. Just ask Cecilia. Don't worry, we haven't finished with short Mary yet. Soon she'll be crying for that vulgar Mummy of hers.&quot;</p>
        
        <p> In fact short Mary cried herself to sleep that night, after the others had fallen asleep. She hadn't achieved the acceptance by the others that she had craved, and she had lost her status as the responsible one of the first form. She regretted ever getting mixed up in cannabis.</p>
        
        <p> &quot;Oh Adam&quot;, Fr Abbot caught him in the corridor.<BR>
        &quot;Yes sir?&quot; said Adam.  &quot;I just thought I'd offer you luck with your motion.&quot; Fr Abbot grinned, &quot;As staff I have to remain neutral on JC resolutions, of course.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Why thank you, Sir&quot; said Adam. Sunday evening came all too quickly for Adam, who was working hard on his motion. He knew that every single one of the first years was against it, even Albert who had seconded it out of friendship to him rather than any shared belief.<BR>
        He had been speaking to Ibrahim. Ibrahim smoked a lot. Previously, when you got Ibrahim on his own, you had been able to get quite a lot of sense out of him on Pakistan, or the deficiencies of St Tom's, or atheism. That had stopped.<BR>
        &quot;Yeah, relax man. Don't do the Jesus stuff too heavily. You're heavy, you know that?&quot;<BR>
        That was about the level of argument you got from Ibrahim these days. He had never been interested or engaged, and now he was withdrawing into himself even more, motivated only by a desire to get the next smoke. A shell, thought Adam, of a human being. Because the cannabis offered him pleasure and comfort in a way, but it was empty pleasure, comfort that in fact could never supply the security they all craved.<BR>
        &quot;Fight back&quot;  That was all he could think, these days. He thought about mentioning Ibrahim in his speech, but he couldn't, not by name.</p>
        
        <p> There were a couple of motions, one on the quality of coffee in the JC, and and to bar members of the royal family from the calefactory, which was defeated. Then Sean read out the next motion.<BR>
        &quot;This JC believes that cannabis users should be imprisoned. Proposed Adam, seconded Albert&quot;<BR>
        &quot;I'm not involved in this motion&quot; said Albert, with a laugh.<BR>
        &quot;Then I call on Adam to propose the motion&quot; said Sean.</p>
        
        <p> &quot;Ladies and gentlemen&quot; said Adam, &quot;it seems the only debate you are allowed to have about cannabis is whether it should be legalised or not. Well why should that be the only debate? Why should laws always get more lenient and never stricter?<BR>
        &quot;You will also have heard it said that the drug pushers are the really evil people, and the poor users the innocent ones. Well let's start right there. Who are the drug pushers? Not the sinister man standing at the school gates. Oh no. The drug pushers are the ordinary boys and girls, just like me and you, who try cannabis and offer a bit to their friends. That's who pushes drugs. So this idea of evil pushers and poor, innocent, victimised users, I don't buy it.<BR>
        &quot;The other thing that is often said is 'no victim no crime'. Who is the victim? You could say the victim is the cannabis smoker who wastes his money and his life - notice we're happy to say the users are the victims when we're pretending it's all the fault of the evil drug pushers. But can you make yourself a victim? I'm not sure if you can - I'm open to persuasion on that one. No, there are victims. Who are the victims? Firstly, everyone who has to put up with the stupidity and self-righteousness of cannabis smokers?&quot;<BR>
        There were protests.<BR>
        &quot;Oh yes, how self-righteously they pretend to be superior, peaceful, natural people, because of their drug. This wonderful drug which has the potential to solve all human conflict and many human diseases as well. This wonderful drug which a cruel government is denying to them. And the way that they talk. All the while dropping marks and losing interest in anything that is constructive. Pathetic, I say. Stupidity and self-righteousness rolled into one.<BR>
        &quot;No, cannabis smokers waste their money. Worse, they put money into the hands of criminals. That's where the real victims are. Everyone who suffers as a result of a criminal culture. Broken down estates. Abused children. Gang violence and intimidation. These are the real victims of the pot-heads. Not us, safely in a private school, but poor people, who can't insulate themselves from crime.<BR>
        &quot;Now what you could say is that, if cannabis was legal, there wouldn't be this criminal culture around it. I'd say that, for us, that is a total red herring. There's not one of us, ladies and gentlemen, over eighteen. No-one proposes to make cannabis legal for children. But who smokes it? Teenagers, of course.<BR>
        &quot;But this isn't a debate about legalisation. Let the pot-heads argue that one out in their boring, druggy way. This is about the penalty for cannabis possession. If we give a caution for cannabis use, what message does that send? That we don't really believe in the law. That legalisation is just round the corner and the pot-head is in the vanguard of social change. Well we've got to really mean our laws. And that means imprisoning people because it's the only way they will take the law seriously. It's the only way you will take the law seriously.&quot;<BR>
        There were catcalls.<BR>
        &quot;See. Cannabis use is illegal in this country, and the hecklers are openly admitting to taking it. They wouldn't dare if the law were properly enforced. Now how would be jail everyone? I admit it would be difficult at first. So you would ramp up the fines for possession, and jail a few people as an example to the rest. Then as the number of criminals fall, you start jailing every user. There are solutions to these problems. There are too many people ignoring the law, because it is not enforced. That's why I plead for you to pass this motion.&quot;<BR>
        Adam sat down.<BR>
        &quot;Any speeches against the motion?&quot; Sean asked, and a forest of hands shot up.<BR>
        &quot;Adam,&quot; said a second year, &quot;would you jail us for drinking and smoking? Because that's illegal under 18 too, but everybody does it. Why should cannabis be the exception?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;I think it's insulting to describe users as pot-heads&quot; said Jade, &quot;it's a total misconception that everyone who takes drugs is a sad loser. In fact successful people often take drugs. It helps them cope with the pressures of high-powered positions. Adam is just ignorant and peddling stereotypes. Besides, it's only cannabis we're talking about here, not real drugs like heroin or cocaine. It's called a soft drug because everyone knows it's almost harmless.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Adam has never seen a prison&quot; said an earnest fifth year, &quot;I have. It's a totally corrosive, soul destroying environment. And people get exposed to drugs whilst they are on the inside. It costs many thousands of pounds a year to keep someone in jail, and when they get out they almost always reoffend. We need to keep minor criminals, like cannabis users, out of the custodial system.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Any speeches in support?&quot; asked Sean.<BR>
        &quot;Yes,&quot; said a voice from the back, &quot;my brother-in-law, or ex-brother-in-law I should say, is actually in prison as a result of using cannabis, or in a secure mental hospital if truth be know. Cannabis-induced psychosis. It is not harmless. Let no-one tell you that cannabis use is harmless.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;That link hasn't been scientifically proven&quot; said someone else, &quot;for every person with cannabis-induced psychosis there is another person who is helped by it. Like people with multiple sclerosis, for example.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;I want to say&quot;, said Cecilia, &quot;that it is our right to do what we want with our own bodies. Some people smoke, some people drink, some people do lots of exercise and get an adrenaline high, some smoke cannabis. Whatever. That is your right. I'm not having some government say to me that you are going to jail because of what you smoke in the privacy of your own home, or this drug is allowed and this one is banned. That's what you don't seem to have taken on board, Adam. And another thing, no-one is pushing drugs. People take it because they want to, not because someone forces them to do it.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;OK, at this stage we normally call on the seconder,&quot; said Sean, &quot;but he's decided to play a purely technical role, so I'll hand back to Adam to wrap up.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Ok,&quot; said Adam, &quot;we hear this argument a lot. Cigarettes and alcohol are legal, so why not cannabis? I'd say there's a difference, and that's the spiritual baggage that goes with cannabis. Cigarette smokers know they they are addicted to something that will give them cancer. It may have been cool to smoke at first, but that pretty soon wears off. Alcoholics know that they are in the gutter of society. But pot heads? They think they are making a statement. Not just a social statement, not just a political statement. No, ladies and gentlemen, the pot head thinks he is making a religious statement. Because smoking pot gives you the feeling that you are better than everyone else. It's that we've got to break.<BR>
        &quot;Then there's Cecilia's point, that it's your right to do what you want with your own body. Well no it isn't. Self-harmers are even a bigger bunch of losers than cannabis-users&quot;<BR>
        Protests.<BR>
        &quot;Order, order. Adam, please conclude.&quot; said Sean.  &quot;Self-harmers, and suicides. A suicide is the definition of a loser. These people deserve no sympathy&quot; said Adam, &quot;and nor do cannabis users. They are damaging themselves, and everyone around them, because ultimately they are living a lie. Happiness doesn't come from a herb, only stupidity and self-delusion. So I say we've got to eradicate this scourge from our society. Support this motion, and jail users.&quot;<BR>
        There was a round of applause.<BR>
        &quot;Votes for&quot; said Sean.<BR>
        Adam looked round. There was a handful, including Albert.<BR>
        &quot;And against&quot;<BR>
        A massive number of hands went up.<BR>
        &quot;Decisively defeated&quot; said Sean, &quot;now to the next item on our agenda. A petition to allow the use of stereo systems in dormitories.&quot;</p>
        
        <p> &quot;That was an idiotic speech&quot; said Mandy, &quot;why can't he just see that nobody agrees with him.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Actually I thought it was rather good&quot; said Abagail, family loyalty stung.<BR>
        &quot;It wasn't brilliant, just controversial&quot; said short Mary, &quot;there is a difference you know&quot;<BR>
        &quot;As if you'd know&quot; said Abagail.<BR>
        &quot;Adam is a very good debater&quot; said a fifth year, and that settled it.</p>
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